The world’s greatest motorcycle isn’t a work of art, nor is it a speed demon of any sort. But the 50cc kick-star Honda Super Cub – with just four horsepower and a top speed of 50 mph – is the single most successful vehicle in the history of internal combustion. Honda's sold more than 60 million of them, and after all that time the Cub is going electric.
Honda pulled the wraps off a two-wheel-drive EV-Cub at the Tokyo Auto Show. The slick concept nicely updates a design that debuted in 1958, when the slogan “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” moved motorcycles beyond the bad-boy stigma to the masses.
The company didn't provide much in the way of details but said the concept is designed "to be just as functional and convenient as its world famous predecessor." That may be, but we're not sure changing an infallibly simple motorcycle that gets a claimed 282 miles per gallon to run on batteries makes much sense. Heck, we not sure how much more efficient it will be, either, unless you’re charging it with solar power. Still, we have to give it to Honda. The electro-Cub looks like fun, and it's a good way to bring an affordable EV to the masses.
To see what kind of abuse the Super Cub can take, check out the video after the jump.
Photo: Honda
In a Discovery Channel program highlighting the best motorcycles ever, the Honda Super-Cub took a beating at the hands of Charley Boorman to take the No. 1 spot. Nothing, including being tossed from a six-story building, could stop it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaeKrqJJqm0
